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Moving mountains

Global warming is taking its toll on the Andean Mountains and those who live there, but gold mining may seal the deal.

Sun Sep 18 2011 09:05:52 GMT+0000

The Andes is the world(***)s longest continental mountain range. Running along the western coast of South America, it extends through seven countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela [GALLO/GETTY]

Massive deposits of gold, silver and copper are thought to be embedded deep within the mountain range, making it a major target for mining companies [GALLO/GETTY]

But the logistics of mining at altitudes of over 4,500 metres presents a whole host of challenges [EPA]

Reaching the mineral deposits involves blasting away parts of the mountains, with serious implications for the topography of the region [GALLO/GETTY]

Open pit mining in the Andes will see whole mountains opened up to extract ore. This is crushed into powder form and treated with chemicals which could pollute the environment [GALLO/GETTY]

Environmentalists and those opposed to mining in the region argue that anywhere between 300,000 and 800,000 cubic metres of ice will also have to be removed from the mountain peaks as part of the mining process [EPA]

But glaciers in the region are already under threat, with scientists warning that global warming may cause them to disappear within 20 years [EPA]

The added threat posed by mining is particularly worrying for the many locals for whom the glaciers provide one of their few and increasingly limited sources of water [GALLO/GETTY]

Scientists have warned that the loss of glaciers will threaten the water supplies of millions of people within the next two decades [EPA]

And there are fears that toxic waste from mining processes will run downstream and potentially poison rivers and glacial water [GELLO/GETTY]

Local farmers have expressed concern that this may, in turn, contaminate their fields [EPA]

There are also concerns about what increased mining may mean for the rights and working conditions of miners. In La Paz, Bolivia, in 2006, thousands of miners, members of the Mining Cooperatives Federation (Fencomin), blocked roads to urge President Evo Morales(***) government to make investments in the mining sector [EPA]

People from the Andes have marched together in solidarity against transnational mining companies [EPA]

But there are fears that water scarcity, exacerbated by mining, could lead to increased tensions and conflict between countries in the region [GALLO/GETTY]

Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano shows his support for the anti-mining campaign in the region, with a t-shirt reading "no to mining contamination" [EPA]

The presence of foreign mining companies in the region is also stirring resentment among those who believe they are plundering the natural resources of the very mountains that symbolise independence from foreign influence precisely because of the water they supply [EPA]

As one activist, Gaby, explains: "Historically, this region(***)s never had enough water, so when a mining company comes to use 1,000 litres of water per second, we risk becoming a ghost town, disappearing, because it doesn(***)t make sense to stay in a town without water, and I don(***)t want to leave" [EPA]